Free bus pass under threat?

A question about : Free bus pass under threat?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ee-travel.html

Should be means-tested, local govt commissioned survey claims.

Best answers:

• I said from the beginning that this idea was unsustainable.
  There are many people who (a) couldn't get to the bus stop to use the bus and (b) have no bus service where they live.
  I've never understood why we couldn't have kept on with the half-fare pass that we used to have. Even with that, in 10 years I used it maybe half a dozen times.
  I don't see that it's anything to do with middle-class or any other class. That's just a smokescreen.
• Yet another U-turn by this government? How many have there been already? Trouble is, it doesn't know it's own mind.
  Getting cars off the road should be good, regardless of whether they are 'middle-class' cars.
• i hope they scrap it.
  My local bus company scrapped child fares before 9am to make up the shortfall, so i was paying for 4 adults every day for me, my 6 yr old, and my 5yr old twins. Then they scrapped the route altogether citing free passes.
  So tell me, rich elderly people go everywhere for free, whilst a young family pays Ј160 per month for the same thing?
  definately should be means tested.
• Around here there are a lot of them, and maybe they are not millionaires but 80p for a bus ticket would not kill them... and their attitude is awful.
  One of them complained to a bus driver about me:
  'she shouldn't be allowed to bring that buggy on such a short bus trip from town'
  driver says: 'she comes from the far end of the route and has to catch 8 buses a day (he knew me fairly well) for school and nursery'
  I wasn't on the bus when this went on, but the driver told me the next day.
  I know not everyone is like this, but she gives the whole group a bad name. At least i'd paid to get on it!
  I would just like a fairer policy for everyone, with appropriate charges. Obviously some people need help, but others could be paying their share as well!
• Well at least they are finally admitting that any talk of the Government being concerned with green issues was nonsense. Originally they had wanted less cars on the road, it was nothing to do with whether one could afford to drive or not it was sold to us as a green issue, make use of public transport and leave your cars behind. So, people stopped using their cars and used the buses instead and suddenly it is all to do with money.
• Most car owners I know don't use buses very often because they are not located near convenient bus routes (hint: that's why they have cars).
  Have to agree that there will be a big backlash if it is dropped.
  It's quite amusing to note that all the mothers with buggies and small children on the buses feel perfectly entited to occupy as many seats as they wish, at the expense of the pensioners, because they have paid for their tickets and the pensioners haven't ( the Government has paid for the pensioners' seats of course, they are not actually free).
  Methinks this a ploy by councils to extract more subsidy from central Govt.It is true that the move impacts variably on different areas, as some have very high pensioner populations.On the other hand it's very positive for the economy in a recession to get the pensioners out and about spending their money (including the money they saved on the bus fare!)
• I am 60 in January and later on in that year should also be able to call myself UK resident once again, and threfore entitled to the bus pass.
  Now, I do drive and we do have a car, but tbh, for going into the city centre or elsewhere with in the city boundaries, the bus would win hands down if I had a pass. No parking to worry about, no traffic to contend with. I have access to several buses within a few minutes walk, all run every 10-15 minutes.
  Even to go to Birmingham would be MUCH easier by bus or tram.
  So I am actually looking forward to my bus pass - and it will certainly get used! Hope they don't scrap it before then!
  My husband, otoh, probably won't even bother applying for his.
• Yes krisskross, we come from the days when you brought your children up without the help of benefits.
  The tax credits and childcare allowance these days will cover the kids' bus fares and other things.
  And anyway all the children I see on buses have a seat to themselves so why shouldn't it be a full fare? My son had half fares, but I made him sit on my lap or stand up if an adult didn't have a seat. Many people won't even move shopping off the seats these days to let you sit down.
  I'm not normally so forthright, but the posters' attitude annoyed me, as she seems to think a young family is more important than anyone else.
  My husband and I, like krisskross and her husband, have many years of working and paying into the system under our belt; surely a bus pass isn't too much to ask?
• Usually bus passes can't be used before 9am-9.30am so paying workers and children going to schoool should not be encountering pensioners.
• Speaking as a frequent bus pass user, one shares the vehicle during the day usually with other pensioners and SAHMs (whether single or marrried) plus their children.
  If you looked at a cross section of these two groups one suspects that their consumption of benefits/freebies would not be that different.One lot will be getting child benefit, tax credits etc, and possibly loads more if single (JSA, housing benefit, council tax benefit etc).Possibily the majority will buy their ticket using money from the Government.
  The pensioners will be getting the free travel, the winter fuel allowance (the state pension you pay for, it is not a benefit.) Some poorer pensioners may be getting pension credit topup,HB, CTB etc.
  Nothing much for either side to feel superior about there.They are in a very similar position.
• absolutely, i was being a bit obnoxious as well, having re read my post.
  hatchet buried